You make have read an article on The MainSail last month reporting the launch of the MiniCat to the UK. The ultra lightweight catamaran can be taken apart and put in a bag that will fit in the boot of many family cars and is light enough to carry, weighing less than 40kg.
The company claims that the boat can go from bag to water-ready in approximately 30 minutes. We thought we would go and see if this was true.
After joining MiniCat's UK distributors on the side of a sailing lake, I was met with one boat already constructed, the Standard model, and two bags sitting adjacent to it - quite a contrast in size as I am sure you can imagine. I watched as one of the team put together the second of the boats, a Super model, as I asked the company MD Rowan Brook where the idea had come from.
Initially designed in the Czech Republic three years ago, the boat has come a long way from its humble beginnings. With a prototype made out of fibre glass, it was clear to see they had something special in the making, but due to the nature of the material; the boats were soon built of polycarbonate instead.
The three different models that are available are as follows:
- Standard - the single sail design comes with an aluminum mast and a sail area of 3.75 m². Price: £2,450.
- Super - comes with an aluminum mast and main sail with an area of 3.75 m² and a jib area of 1.4 m². Price: £2,550.
- Sport - a composite mast offering a lighter weight is combined with a mainsail area of 3.75 m² and furling jib with an area of 1.4 m². Price: £2,750.
After approximately 40 minutes the second boat was up and ready to sail, so with one bag still to unpack, I thought I would try my hand at a little boat building.
Starting with a selection of components arranged across the ground, it wasn't long before I had something that resembled a boat. After 10 minutes the deck was already completed, 15 minutes later the mast was up and in less than 50 minutes (bear in mind this was my first attempt) I was out on the water.
Even without a huge amount of wind, the MiniCat sits so high in the water due to the inflatable design that it wasn't long before I was belting across the lake. It performed very well going in a straight line, but as with any multi hull its cornering left a little to be desired.
Every time I attempted to tack the MiniCat I found myself losing all power and almost coming to complete standstill. Though she did perform slightly better while gybing, I don't think we are going to see this type of boat have their own class of racing any time soon.
With virtually no overheads, such as mooring fees or the cost of a trailer, this is a very cheap way of owning a small boat. Small enough to fit in a large deck locker or possibly below a bunk, the MiniCat would also be a fun addition aboard any cruising yacht. With the ability to sail in as little as 30cm of water it has the potential to offer a platform for exploring remote areas of shallow coastline without disrupting the environment.
The robust 3.1 meter Valmex floats allows you to sail right up on to the shore, without fear of damaging the vessel. And after a swift 20 minutes' dismantling, we put the cat in the bag and were done for the day.
Additions to the range including a carbon mast and a four man version are in the pipeline. For the latest information on MiniCat's products or to arrange a boat test for yourself visit www.minicat-uk.com.
